ELLISON: One of the things that Arthur mentioned is that he had gotten very, very supportive messages from his family throughout this. And I think one of the things that's interesting is the more that he is under siege, the more the family rallies around from him. He got beautiful messages and one that morning that we spoke had sort of brought tears to his eyes because they were so supportive and really standing with him. I do -

STELTER: That matters because the paper is one of the only family-owned papers left and if this family starts to fray, it could be sold.

ELLISON: I mean, this is - they are sort of the last ones standing. And so I think it is a really important question right now - there don't seem to be divisions that we've seen in other newspaper families - but I think that what we're going to continue to talk about are two things... One is this conversation about women and leadership, which is really what has sort of been ignited by this.

STELTER: Right.

ELLISON: And then the second one is the long-term future of The Times. I think they have weathered this past week or so and made it out of this part of it, but I do think the questions about leadership and the family will continue.

Jill Abramson, who was fired as executive editor of The New York Times last week, doesn't know what she'll do next. But she knows she won't be getting her tattoo of the newspaper's logo removed.

Abramson spoke for the first time about her abrupt dismissal during a commencement address at Wake Forest University Monday morning.

She joked about the timing of the address. "I think the only real news here today is your graduation from this great university!" she told the graduates. She then spoke at length about the topic of resilience, citing her own experiences at The New York Times.

Abramson did not speak an ill word about The New York Times or its publisher, Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., who forced her out after fewer than three years as executive editor. She praised the newspaper and said "it was the honor of my life to lead the newsroom."

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) - As a media reporter for the New York Times, I was acutely aware that executive editor Jill Abramson favored what she called "the story behind the story."

Articles that revealed what was really happening behind the scenes, beyond the on-the-record pleasantries of politics and corporate life, were rewarded with kudos from Abramson and front page placement.

You know where I'm going with this.

Today the news media world is collectively asking for the story behind the story of Abramson's sudden dismissal on Wednesday.

Abramson and the publisher of the Times, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., have not answered. But Sulzberger's decision to replace Abramson with her deputy, Dean Baquet, has been infused with meaning anyway, by anonymously-sourced stories, terse statements and outlandish claims.

I left the Times about six months ago. In all the coverage of Abramson's ouster, this quote, from New York magazine's account of what went wrong, rings truest: "It was just a lot of accumulated backbiting."

In a move that stunned the media world, the New York Times announced Wednesday that it was replacing executive editor Jill Abramson with her No. 2 in the newsroom, Dean Baquet.

Abramson was named executive editor about three years ago. New York Times (NYT)publisher Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. told employees at a staff meeting that he chose a new editor "because I believe that new leadership will improve some aspects of the management of the newsroom," according to his prepared remarks, which were provided by a spokeswoman.

Sulzberger went on to say, "You will understand that there is nothing more I am going to say about this, but I want to assure all of you that there is nothing more at issue here."

The spokeswoman confirmed that Abramson will not remain at the newspaper. Baquet, who has been Abramson's deputy since 2011, will become executive editor immediately.

About "Reliable Sources"

Now more than ever, the press is a part of every story it covers. And CNN's "Reliable Sources" is one of television's only regular programs to examine how journalists do their jobs and how the media affect the stories they cover.

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About the host

Brian Stelter is the host of "Reliable Sources" and the senior media correspondent for CNN Worldwide. Before he joined CNN in November 2013, Stelter was a media reporter for The New York Times. He is the author of the New York Times best-seller "Top of the Morning."